The present invention is directed to a toy construction system, and in particular a panel which may be incorporated in such a toy construction system.
The panel of the present invention is designed to be used with a toy construction system comprised of a combination of connector elements and structural elements which can be combined in various forms to form composite structures. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,061,219, 5,137,486 and 5,199,919 to Glickman, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference, disclose such a toy construction system. The toy construction system includes a plurality of hub-like connector elements and rod-like strut elements which can be combined in various forms to create rigid skeletal structures. As will be further described below, the connectors of this system include gripping arms adapted for lateral, snap-in engagement of the struts and include cavities disposed radially around a center hub portion between the hub portion and the gripping arms.
The panel of the present invention is suitable to house a photovoltaic cell or solar panel, or the like, and includes legs which are sized and shaped for a tight frictional engagement with the cavities of the connectors such that the panel can be incorporated in an assembly comprised of the connectors and struts.
The legs are located on the bottom of the panel, one at each corner and two near the center. Connector elements can be mounted on the legs in various combinations to allow the panel to be incorporated in a larger assembly composed of the connectors and struts. The legs located at the four corners of the panel are spaced from the sides thereof a distance such that one connector can be used to engage the legs of two adjacent panels thereby allowing the two panels to be joined together. In addition, the center legs and the corner legs are located such that connectors mounted thereon can be interconnected by a combination of connector elements and strut elements thereby providing a rigid support for the panel.
The known hub-like connector elements have a plurality of generally radially oriented sockets for receiving and lockingly engaging end portions of the struts. Specifically, the connectors include a plurality of spaced-apart gripping arms disposed radially around a center hub portion. The gripping arms define socket-forming recessed adapted for lateral snap-in insertion of the struts. Additionally, the end extremities of the struts are formed with an annular groove, defining a flanged end such that the strut is locked against axial and lateral withdrawal from the connector once installed.
As described in the above-mentioned patents, and specifically U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,919, the connectors are provided in various configurations including a planar "snowflake" configuration having eight sockets disposed radially 360 degrees around, and equidistant from, a center hub portion. Also disclosed is a multiplanar, composite connector formed of two connectors, each including a special recess adapted such that the two connectors can be assembled in a 90 degree relationship to one another.
The panel of the present invention is particularly suitable for motorized structures composed of assemblies of the connectors and strut elements of the toy construction system. The panel can be placed adjacent or mounted on such structures and can provide power to the motorized structure with an enclosed solar cell, or other power source.